and more harajuku

Some cos(tume) players imitate characters from their favourite anime (animated series or movies), while others portray members of bands they like - most often bands where the visual is considered as important as (and in the case of crap bands, more important than) the audio.

The girl in blue/black below isn't cosplaying (as far as I know). I just liked her look.











This guy was my favourite person on the bridge. He was standing alone for a while and there was something about him that drew me in. I'm struggling to explain it properly, but it was as if he was poised and self-contained, yet reaching out at the same time without speaking or moving. He was kind enough to pose for me. I regret not asking to take another photo later when he smiled at a compliment, because his face became more beautiful, like a room suddenly filled with light.











I saw two kinds of people that day: one kind that look like they are playing dress-up, and the other kind who look like they dressed to express outwardly some part of themselves they don't usually reveal. This guy had the air of someone who was expressing through clothes and makeup something that another person might express through poetry or art. I'm not sure all of this isn't evident in the photos, but it's how I remember him.

harajuku

I'm going to add a few more posts of photos and videos from the Japan trip.

The bridge at Harakuku wasn't as crowded as I'd imagined it would be. At times I think I could have counted more tourists with cameras than subjects for shooting. (Actually at times watching the photo-taking dynamic was as interesting as looking at the fashion and cosplay.) This is a cross-section of the people on the bridge. Blogger limits the number of pics in a post to five, so I'll add a few more in the next post.

It's a shame the girl on the left below was not in the mood for posing that day. She looked perfect, like a delicate porcelain doll.